Moonstruck
by Scarlett Burns
Summary: After arriving in Egypt, Quentin Collins discovers that the ancient land still holds many horrifying surprises. Surprises that could change his life forever. Sequel to Whispers In The Wind
1. Part 1

The Adventures of Quentin Collins  
Moonstruck (Sequel to "Whispers in the Wind")  
By: Scarlett Burns 

Chapter 1

It was three months ago today that he had said good-bye to Collinwood. He missed it, but in a way it was a relief as well. There were too many memories there, too much heartache, sorrow and a feeling of hopelessness that was impossible to shake. Beth had been right when she had once said that Collinwood cast a long shadow, because he could still feel it now, even when he was so far away from home.

It was January 29, 1898. Quentin had found Amanda; said his good-bye and was now wondering where to go next. What was he going to do now?

He took the stone out of his pocket and inspected it again for what must have been the 1000th time. The night he found it he hadn't noticed the light image of the Eye of Horus etched in the stone, the same image that was on the key he used to open the obelisk; thus discovering the hidden treasure. He wondered if the other 5 stones had the same image etched on them as well.

"Well, unless I go and find the other stones I may never know. Can't have that now, can we? After all, I like to see all my stories have an ending." Quentin said to himself, replacing the stone back in his pocket. Good thing the stone was small, he thought. He would hate to have to lug around something bigger!

After a good nights sleep he was to leave New York, he decided that Egypt was the obvious place to start, and his first stop, Cairo.

It was hot – Extremely hot. Didn't Egypt know that this was supposed to be winter? Thought Quentin. After his last experience in Egypt with Laura he swore he would never return there. Yet here he was, a mere one year later.

Ahhh yes, Cairo. He remembered it well. This was the heart, where one could find almost every aspect of Egypt. Including some of the most famous Pharaonic, ancient Christian and Islamic monuments. He was here to see Pharaonic in particular. He had to admit that Egypt did hold a certain charm and for Quentin, an endless fascination. Plus, Egyptians knew how to make some wicked alcoholic beverages that were superb in taste that one could not find anywhere else. Well, they've had years of practice I suppose thought Quentin.

His first stop, after the local pub that is, was the Al-Azhar Public Library, where he hoped to do a little research before going any further. After all, he had no clue where to start. He had learned some Arabic while here on his last trip so reading the books wasn't a problem. The problem was where exactly to look. He read…..and read….and read. A week later he had still found nothing and decided to make his next stop, the Great Cairo Public Library and after another 4 days he finally ran across something of interest.

The book was written about Amenhotep II. It stated that he possessed the "sacred stone of freedom" which supposedly possessed some unusual powers and could "set one free". There was a bust of Amenhotep II on display at the Mukhtar Museum with a necklace around the neck. Attached to the necklace is a stone, much like an amulet, that is believed to be the sacred stone. Unfortunately, that is all the book said about a sacred stone and it wasn't much to go on. He flipped through the rest of the pages, searching for a mention and noticed that there was an Alabaster Sphinx in Memphis, Egypt that was possibly made in his honor. The one bad thing about Egypt, Quentin realized was that nothing was for sure. He may have been on the right track…or he may be totally off. He just didn't know.

He decided that he should go take a look at the bust of Amenhotep II so off he went, to the Mukhtar Museum.

The Mukhtar Museum was built to house the sculptures of Mahmud Mukhtar who is considered to be one of the greatest Egyptian sculptures. Ramesses Wissa Wassef designed the building and it houses eighty-five sculptures made from bronze, stone, basalt, marble, granite and plaster. One of the buildings even contains a Planetarium, the Gezira Museum and the Museum of Egyptian Civilization. The Gezira Museum contains objects that were collected by the royal family.

It really was an awesome site and Quentin couldn't help but get excited by looking at all the magnificent sculptures, architecture and other beauties that were housed within the museum. It took some time but he finally found the statue he was looking for, Amenhotep II. Sure enough there was an amulet around the busts' neck. As he inspected the statue closer he realized this sculpture was made from marble, a lot like the marble he had seen in the maze of tunnels below Collinwood. The only difference was its color, which was pearl with startling red and yellow swirls. He didn't know marble came in those colors, it looked totally unnatural. Perhaps Mahmud Mukhtar did something to the stone to make it look so? After all he was fantastic at his work. The stone itself was the right size, but had a Winged Scarab etched into it instead of the Eye of Horus.

He had the distinct feeling though that it didn't matter; this had to be another one of the sacred stones. But this was just a statue, how was he going to find the stone itself?

The Winged Scarab that was finely etched onto the stone had a very unique and familiar look to it as well. He was sure he had seen it somewhere else, but where?

Another thing was bugging him too. Just how did Mahmud Mukhtar know what the stone itself looked like? How did he get the size and the etching if the stone itself was only a myth? Had he heard a description of it before and simply guessed, had he read about it somewhere… or had he actually seen the stone himself? The unusual marble he used to make sculpture was also intriguing.

Quentin took out his notebook and wrote down a description of the sculpture in great detail. He didn't want to forget something later that would be of great importance. He got a few looks from the security guards and decided it would probably be best if he went on his way so he took one last look around the museum and left with more unanswered questions.

Quentin wanted to see Mahmud Mukhtar in person, which was a bit more difficult than he had first anticipated. He was quite the celebrity and was not easy to see. Quentin had no idea where the man lived either, which also seemed to be a huge secret. As a matter of fact he didn't even know if the man lived in Egypt anymore, with as much money as the man must have had he could probably have lived anywhere.

The fact that he had seen the unusual Winged Scarab etched somewhere else before was also tugging at him. Sighing he decided that now would be a perfect time for a drink…maybe several drinks.

After about 3 brandy's it suddenly hit Quentin. He had seen that Scarab in one of the books he went over in the Great Cairo Public Library. He had to go back there and find that book again and see exactly where he saw the etching. If it could give him some clue he might be able to figure out what direction he needed to take next.

Chapter 2

"Ahhh, here it is!" Quentin whispered to himself. It was etched into a stone doorway, which belonged to an ancient Egyptian temple. The temple was not well known nor was it on any tours, which was kind of odd considering how grand it was. As he started to read about the Egyptian temple it became more and more fascinating. It was called "Temple of Hermanubis" and it seems that it was used for some unusual purposes. The Jackal-headed god Anubis was the Egyptian god of death. The god was worshipped by a cult whose priest wore a wolf-like mask representing him way back in the first century AD. Hermanubis was a representation of the high priest of the Egyptian cult, which was a jackal's head on the body of a man.

The book vaguely described a war against the Roman Armies. It seems that the Germanic troops that were recruited into the Roman Armies had seen the Cult of Hermanubis in their wolf-like masks. After the fall of the Roman Empire they had spoken of what they had seen which to them, in the middle of war was a beast, a wolf that walked like a man. This in turn may have inspired legends of men who could assume the form of wolves, the legend of the Werewolf.

This was all totally new to Quentin. He never actually researched Werewolves of the Egyptian kind. Could it be possible that Hermanubis was actually what was now known as a Werewolf?

"Well maybe I should study a little more on my affliction…," thought Quentin. He had never actually done so, but the knowledge might just come in handy one of these days.

After picking out several books on the Werewolf legend Quentin sat down, got comfy and dived in. He found some very amusing 'facts' on Werewolves if you could call them that. He particularly liked reading the chapters about how to detect a werewolf. He enjoyed the following passage:

"Signs that you or one you know is a Werewolf:

-Hairy Hands (especially looking for hair on the palms) or Feet.  
-Protruding Teeth  
-Small pointy ears or ears that are positioned low and towards the back of the head  
-Left uncut Thumbnail (Quentin wondered where in the world that one came from)  
-Unusually long 3rd finger  
-Eyebrows joining on the bridge of the nose  
-A crescent moon tattoo  
-Sleeping with ones jaw open  
-Long curved fingernails tinged with red"

Smiling, Quentin was happy that he showed none of those signs and was quite sure any respectable Werewolf didn't. As he continued reading he found another passage which was quite unpleasant:

"What makes you become a Werewolf:

-Being bitten by a Werewolf  
-Eating a wolf's brain  
-Drinking from the paw print of a wolf  
-Part of a Curse  
-Tasting human flesh  
-Eating roasted wolf flesh  
-Wearing or smelling of Wolfbane  
-Wearing a garment made of a wolf's pelt"

Disgusting, Quentin thought to himself. There were a few of those that he would rather not have read and it almost made him glad that a curse was the reason for his problem.

Quentin was suddenly aware of a shadow crossing over the book he was reading. Looking back he saw a stout looking man of average height wearing a long brown robe. The robe adorned a hood, so Quentin could not make out the face. He just stood there watching Quentin and there was no sign that he was moving anytime soon.

"What do you want?"

The man motioned with his hand for Quentin to follow him and started to walk away, toward the doors to the grand library. Quentin knew very well he shouldn't follow, it would be so stupid to follow this strange man!

The next thing he knew he was following the man out of the museum. He saw the man go around the corner of the old library but by the time Quentin went around the corner and into the side ally the robed man was nowhere to be found.

"Hello?" Quentin called out.

He walked down the ally slowly; the only thing he could hear was the sound of his own footsteps. Quentin noticed that it was getting dark, it must be around 6:00pm Quentin thought. Noticing that he was breathing heavier than usual Quentin tried to control the feeling of dread that was coming over him. The Egyptian cult that he had gotten himself into in Alexandria couldn't have found him…could it? After all that had transpired they would not be extremely happy to see him. But this wasn't Alexandria, what would they be doing here?

Deciding that it would not be wise to stay in this dark and deserted ally any longer Quentin turned around and started a brisk pace out of the ally but just before he rounded the corner someone grabbed him hard on the shoulder from behind and spun him around.

"You have the mark!" the robed man said in a hushed tone.

Chapter 3

"Who are you? What do you mean, 'I have the mark'"?  
"You are one of them, you have the mark of Hermanubis!"  
"The mark of who? I don't know what you're talking about!" Quentin exclaimed. He didn't like this whole situation in the least.

"I know what you are and what you seek. I have seen the books you have been reading in the Great Cairo Library. You are an American, Yes?"

"Yes, look. I really wish you would explain to me what you are talking about. Wasn't Hermanubis some kind of Egyptian cult way back when?"

"Correct but you have much to learn and I cannot teach it to you. You must go to the temple that belongs to the cult of Hermanubis. There you will find answers to some of your questions and have more questions to go with your answers." Said the robed man.

"Do you mean that the cult still exists today? I read somewhere that they existed before the fall of the Roman Empire."

"That they did, but they're descendants still carry their tradition and their ways. The cult lives on, if you seek a cure for what you and your male descendants suffer I believe they can give you an answer…that is, if they want to."

"Where can I find this temple? Please tell me if you know!"

"Very well, you will find the ancient cult 10 miles north of the city of Hermopolis." The man pulled a small folded piece of paper out from under his robe and handed it to Quentin.

With that the robed man turned around and walked out of the ally. "Wait!" Quentin called, chasing after the strange man. When he was out of the ally, onto the streets of Cairo once again the man was nowhere to be found. He had vanished into the crowd.

Quentin unfolded the piece of paper; it was an ancient map of Hermopolis.

It seemed that Hermopolis was an ancient Egyptian city in ruins today, located in Upper Egypt. A few people still lived in the city and many made an expedition to study what was left of it. Known to the Egyptians as Khmunu, "The City of the Eight", Hermopolis was the cult center of the Ogdoad, the eight primeval deities who created the world, according to one of several Egyptian traditions. The city was also the seat of the god of wisdom and learning, the ibis-headed moon-god Thoth. Hermopolis was located on the West Bank of the Nile, about midway between Thebes and Memphis. It was the center of a heavily populated district that extended to the west, until it met the Libyan Desert.

The map that the robed man had given Quentin was indeed quite old and showed that Hermopolis was much bigger than it was now, 10 miles north of the Hermopolis of today was were the temple of Hermanubis could be found and where many had lived long ago. The good thing was that he could stay in Hermopolis while he was trying to figure out what exactly to do.

Although the city itself was interesting, Quentin particularly wanted to know about this ibis-headed moon god, Thoth. How odd that the cities main god was Thoth…the god of the moon which controlled his destiny and the destiny of his descendants.

After arriving in the city, Quentin decided to waste no time in making his first trek. Unfortunately, the only way he was going to get there was to pack up the stuff he needed and head through the desert to the north…on a camel. Now, Quentin could ride a horse, but a camel? He had never even seen a camel before.

After finding a place where he could "borough" a camel for a small fee he got set to leave. He attached a pack to the camels behind, which was **not** fun in Quentin's opinion and started to lead it out of town. He didn't want to get on the camel while in town, already being made fun of when he attempted to get on the camel the first 3 times and failing miserably. All was in vain though because while Quentin was walking Mr. Camel out of town it decided that his hair might be a yummy snack. When Quentin turned around to give the camel a piece of his mind he was further humiliated when it spit on him.

"Ahhh, I hate camels!" Quentin shouted to no one in particular as the locals had a field day laughing at this obvious American. One kinder Egyptian came up to him though and asked if he needed any help. Quentin started to protest, thinking that he could get the darn animal under control by himself but the man was quite persistent. Finally he decided that it would be better if he learned how to get on it now rather then mess around for half an hour in the desert trying to do it all by himself. After he was aboard the camel, the Egyptian gave him a long stick and said to tap the camels back to get him to run and with that the man smacked the camels back twice with his hand and off Quentin was, straight out into the desert. On his way to the temple of Hermanubis, that is if he could figure out how to get the camel to stop.

Chapter 4

When he finally reached the temple the sun was setting over the horizon casting an orange and red tint across the sky. To Quentin's dismay, the temple was in ruins and there was no sign of anyone or anything. Even in ruins though, Quentin was awestruck at the sight in front of him. He was looking at the face of a cliff. Inside was where the temple lye. It was two stories into the cliff face, with a column separating each doorway. In front of a few chosen columns where statues of Anubis and what Quentin guest to be Hermanubis and in the center of the structure was a grand stairway that led into the temple. On the ground that lye before the temple where remnants of what must have been large stone pillars which spanned quite a large distance. Right in the middle of this garden of crumbling pillars was a large square stone. It rose about 8 feet high with a circle opening; a moon-gate*. On one side of this moon-gate, the side facing towards the desert had a slab of stone in front of it and reminded Quentin of an alter. The stone was cracking and the stairway and statues where falling apart. This temple must be very old indeed, he thought. Quentin wondered why on earth the man in the robe told him to come here.

Deciding it was time for a rest he reached inside his pack and got out some brandy he had brought with him, he definitely needed it at this point. The man was probably just putting him on the entire time sending him on a wild goose chase to nowhere!

Sighing he moved himself and his camel to a shady spot, sat down and watch the sun set. Just as the sun was about to go below the horizon Quentin saw a group of horses in the distance, as they approached he noticed that the riders were wearing pelts and some sort of masks. Quentin hid himself and the camel. "Can't forget the camel," thought Quentin as he took a seat and watched the riders get closer, they were heading straight for the temple.

They stopped just before the garden of ancient pillars and dismounted from their horses. As they did so Quentin noted that there were 5 of them and they were all in a row, the person in the exact middle of the five was wearing a full-face mask, which was the head of Anubis. He also wore a large silver pelt that reached all the way to the ground. The others wore half masks that shaped the lower half of their face into a wolf-like snout, covering their nose and mouth. Only their eyes showed, which were also wickedly outlined with eyeliner and looked very Cleopatra-like. Quentin couldn't tell if they were men, women or both.

They walked over to the moon-gate; two of them were carrying sacks with them. One took out a small jug and began to pour a thin line of what appeared to be blue colored sand. At first Quentin couldn't tell what this person was drawing but as he reached the last point he could see that it was a 5 pointed star… a pentagram.

Each of the five stood at the tip of the pentagram, and the person wearing the full head of Anubis placed himself or herself on the top point. It was clear this one was the head of the cult.

"Hymn to Iah!" called out the leader, each other member of the cult followed.  
"Hail to Thee Anubis!  
Father of thee who hears the supplication of his children.  
Make pure this sacrament, make pure the way.  
You who provide all that we seek,  
Give us the bounty of your blessing,  
and let us your children change in your image."

They all said in unison. The head of the cult anointed the four corners of the altar with what appeared to be jars of some sort, then took his place at the pentagram once more.

"Hail to thee Khonsu!  
Father of the Moon Gods who hears the supplication of his children.  
Make pure this sacrament, make pure the way.  
You who give us a little of yourself so that we may experience change.  
Give us the bounty of your blessing  
and let us your children be gifted."

They all shouted in unison.

"Hail Hequit!  
Come in peace, come in peace.  
We praise Thee Moonlight Goddess,  
We exalt Thy Majesty,  
We raise high the Lady of the Stars,  
We make praise for Heqit  
and make chants for the pleasure of the Mistress."  
"Father of thee, Come!  
Mistress Heqit, Come!  
Lady Sefkhet-Seshat, Come!"  
  
"Leader: As Maiden, we celebrate your dark beauty!  
All: We Praise Thee, Hequit!  
Leader: As Mother we heed your love and reprimands!  
All: We Praise Thee, Hequit!  
Leader: As Wise Woman we listen to the wisdom of thee!  
All: We Praise Thee, Hequit!  
Leader: As Priestess we follow you in the rites of passage!  
All: We Praise Thee, Hequit!  
Leader: As Goddess we praise your name!  
All: We Praise Thee, Hequit!  
Leader: As Midwife we are cleansed by your compassion in the newness of our rebirth to the moon!  
All: We Praise Thee, Hequit!  
Leader: As thee who hath the power to give us the gift!  
All: We Praise Thee, Hequit!"  
"Thou art Womb and Tomb, Beginning and End,  
Genetrix and Devourer, Who gives us rebirth in the face of the moon, we children start anew.  
Mother, grant us the gift that we seek.  
To change our presence to the likeness of Anubis.  
to honor and obey your desire."

Each one went to the altar and kneeled in turn whispering something Quentin could not hear. Then they once again took their places on the pentagram.

"Slay our selves, temper us into that which brings life, mold us into perfection."

On of the members reached into their sack and took out a bouquet of flowers and placed it upon the alter.

"Drive us to emerge beautiful, perfect, and fragrant with life!"  
"We supplicate you now,  
O Golden Eye of Ra,  
Listen and hearken to our petitions,  
Our needs we must fulfill,  
Our desires we must meet,  
Our destinies we must fulfill,  
That you grant us the power of Anubis."

"Mighty Lady of the Moon, send to us your two chosen children. With them will come the changing of our lives. The sight of your ever-changing countenance guides us through our difficult phases, and encourages us in our own becoming, aid our own evolution so that we may be more than what we are, to achieve what we are not yet able to achieve. Send us your chosen and we will be! We take your example to heart, hearing the wisdom of your silence. We pass through, bearing your light within." They all said in unison.

"Arach barak Mut Het-heru"  
"Arach barak Mut Het-heru"  
"Arach barak Mut Het-heru"  
"Arach barak Mut Het-heru"  
"Arach barak Mut Het-heru"

As they finished a light began to appear, the moon was directly in the middle of the moon-gate and it's light fell straight into the center of the pentagram.

"Bring us thy chosen so that we may prosper." They all began to chant in unison. A form began to appear in the center of the pentagram, and as the chanting got louder the form became clearer. Quentin could hear his heart pounding over the sound of the cult's voices. A fierce wind began to pick-up and whipped around the 5 chanting figures. It howled loudly against the fallen form of the great temple becoming more and more violent as the seconds passed. With the wind came a thick, white fog that seemed to rise from the ground itself and within seconds it was impossible for Quentin to see more than two feet in front of himself. The howling of the wind reached its peak and Quentin covered his ears with his hands, he could stand it much longer.

Then suddenly it all stopped. Everything stopped. The wind and chanting was gone, leaving only the suffocating thick, white fog in its wake. Quentin sat still and silent, frozen in the moment...

A deathly silence had spread across the ancient temple. Slowly, the fog began to clear and what Quentin saw next was truly unbelievable, even for him.

Chapter 5

As the fog cleared the sight before him was absolutely breathtaking. The temple that was in ruins moments before now looked as if it was just built yesterday. The column's that had crumbled with age now stood tall and sturdy. The statues that where mere shadows of there past beauty were certainly showing it now, with their intricate detail and painting that had worn off in time. It was glorious.

Quentin could now see the cult clearly, they where still standing around the pentagram and it looked as if there was one more person than before. Someone standing in the center of the pentagram surrounded by the other members of the cult.

"1…2…3…4…5…6, yes!" thought Quentin "There is one more person with them now, there was only 5 before." Shifting in position Quentin tried to get a better look at the person inside the pentagram but to no avail. Frustrated, Quentin decided the best thing to do was to stay put and see what happens. They seemed to be chanting something and from the little that he could see it looked as if the figure in the middle was touching the forehead of each cult member in turn. The light of the full moon cast a eerie glow on the bizarre scene unfolding in front of him, it almost seemed like that was the only way it could be seen – under the light of the full moon.

After what seemed like an eternity one of the cult members stepped off the pentagram, then the next person to the right of him did the same and the rest followed suit until they formed a loose circle around the figure in the middle. Getting a glimpse of the person now he could see that it was the lean figure of a young woman with blonde hair and a long white dress.

Quentin's heart skipped a beat at the frightening possibility of it being her…Laura. As she turned around and he could see her face a flood of relief filled Quentin. It wasn't Laura, but his relief was short lived because as he stared at her face he realized she looked very familiar. Quentin couldn't quite figure out just who it was but it felt like he should know.

The head of the cult went up to the woman and said something in a whispered tone and bowed before her feet. She nodded and then turned around and looked straight in the direction where Quentin was hidden.

"Please don't see me, Please don't see me!" Quentin's mind screamed. If they caught him now there was no telling what they would do to him. The woman lifted her arm and pointed straight to Quentin's hiding place.

"Oh God"

Suddenly an image flashed into Quentin's mind. It was a picture from one of the family albums back at home, a picture of his brother Edward around the age of 6 sitting on his Grandmother Edith's lap. Quentin's mother and father were standing behind Edith and Edward, holding hands. Edith was much younger then and Quentin remembered commenting on how pretty she used to be. Quentin had particularly liked the picture though because it included both his parents together.

"No, it's not possible…it can't be her!"

Chapter 6

Shaking himself out of him reverie Quentin took a second look. Yes, there was no denying it. It was definitely she. Looking at her he suddenly realized that not only was she looking straight at his hiding place, so was every other member of the cult.

"I think it's time to get out of here. Camel, what do you think?" Looking over his shoulder at the camel it dawned on him that there was no way it was going to outrun the horses the other cult members possessed. Quentin mentally cursed himself for not spending a little more money and getting a horse.

Sighing softly Quentin thought, "Well, maybe they don't know I'm here. Maybe they are staring at something else…" Just then Quentin felt the tip of a sharp object against the middle of his back. "Figures." Quentin thought to himself.

"Stand up, put your hands behind your head and turn around."

Doing what he was told Quentin turned around and got a close look at one of the 5 cult members, perhaps a little closer than he would have liked. He could now see that the masks were made out of real fur and were a full head piece, even reaching out over their ears making them pointed like a wolfs.

"Did you think that we didn't know you were here watching us the entire time? Really, we are not that blind…Quentin." The man asked with a clearly Egyptian accent. He was holding a dagger that reminded Quentin of "The Dancing Lady" Aristede once pulled on him. Well, maybe more than once but that was beside the point. He didn't want to see how that would feel buried in his chest.

"How did you know my name?"

"Oh, we know all about you, we have been watching you for quite some time now."

"Wh—What? What do you mean and why don't any of you speak Egyptian or Arabic instead of English?" asked Quentin doubtfully.

"We knew you were watching, hiding somewhere amongst the pillars and we wanted you to understand everything that was said this night."

"Why would you care if I understood or not? What's this all about?"

"Come with me, everything will be explained to you soon. This is not the place for it and I am not the one who is going to tell you about it."

"Who? Who is going to be the one to tell me?" Quentin asked as fear crept through his heart.

"I think you know Quentin." With that he took a rope out from under his robe and tied Quentin's hands behind his back, then continued to lead him towards the rest of the cult…and towards **her**.

Chapter 7

As Quentin reached the cult her back was turned towards him. "I knew you'd come Quentin. If I wasn't sure that you were the one before I certainly am now." She said. Slowly she turned around and gave Quentin a warm smile.

"Well, aren't you happy to see me Quentin?"

"No, It can't be! Grandmama, your dead!" Quentin said, shocked at the sight of his Grandmother Edith standing before him looking for the entire world like a young woman in her late twenties.

"Yes I died but dead I am not my dear."

"How is this possibly Grandmama? I saw your body in its casket. Edward and Judith went to your funeral. They saw you buried!"

"But you didn't did you Quentin? You were to frightened and guilt ridden to come but I have seen what you have been through and what has happened, I know you have grown since I last met you."

"Really? Just when you think you've stopped growing…"

At Quentin's last remark Edith let out a light chuckle. "I think you know what I mean. Its nice to see you still have your sense of humor though Quentin. You know you were the only one in the family who ever did acquire one…except for your mother. You see… that is where you get it. Your sense of humor, and your blue eyes." Smiling she continued as Quentin listened, he just couldn't believe that he was here in Egypt talking to his dead or used to be dead Grandmother.

"I think that is why your mother and I liked you the most. You were always her favorite and mine."

"I was?"

"Yes, for many reasons. One of which is why you are here now."

"Why *am* I here now?"

"I think we should talk alone and without the restraints. Come, let's go inside."

"Inside? You mean inside the Temple of Hermanubis?"

"Of course." Edith said calmly, leading the way. In the meantime Quentin's mind was working over-time trying to figure out what all of this means…and just why he was wanted here.

"Maybe this is just a dream." Quentin said to himself not realizing he had actually said it out loud. Edith laughed, startling Quentin.

"Would you like me to pinch you?"

"Yes…Ouch! Well, you could at least give me a little warning before you do that!"

"Oh, you do amuse me so."

"Well, I am happy someone in the family feels that way."

Reaching the stairway that led to the temple made Quentin realize just how grand a structure it actually was. The stairway must have been over 40 feet wide and ascended a good 60 feet up into the cliff face. The architecture and statues were impressive as well. Although the statues reminded Quentin of Gargoyles that perched in the shadows of large buildings they were showing their full glory under the cascading glow of the full moon…it was almost as though it was built just to be marveled at under the soft moonlight. He couldn't imagine seeing it any other way.

"It's as if it was made for the moonlight." Quentin told Edith softly.

"That's because it was."

At the top of the stairway Quentin stopped walking. The large opening before him was pitch dark and looked so ominous. He didn't want to go inside, he had no idea what he might find in such a place and the possibilities were terrifying.

Chapter 8

"Come Quentin, once we go inside we will have light."

Entering cautiously Quentin followed his Grandmother into the Temple of Hermanubis.

"Stay here" Edith whispered as she went over to a corner of the room. Quentin stood there waiting anxiously as he heard her fiddling with something for a moment. Suddenly the room was filled with a soft light. Looking over at his grandmother he noticed she was positioning a mirror, casting his gaze upward Quentin noticed there was a large shaft that opened up to the sky. The pale light that had cascaded into the small room was reflecting off several mirrors positioned in appropriate places throughout the room.

"It works better in the day when the sun is bright but if you catch the full moon when it's in the right position in the sky it is possible to get a little light. Torches mostly light the temple with the exception of a few rooms lit by the light of the moon or sun." Edith explained to Quentin at his questioning glance in her direction. She walked over to him and removed the restraints around his hands. "She was being far to nice, Edith was never this nice before." Quentin thought to himself.

"Please Grandmama, don't keep me in suspense any longer. Tell me what all this is about and why I am here."

"Very well, how much do you know already?"

"A strange man in Cairo told me that if I came here I might be able to find a cure to my curse." Quentin started to explain until Edith interrupted him. "A cure to what Quentin?"

"I thought because you were here you knew about it! Your 'confidant', the gypsy Magda, cursed me and all my male descendants to become…"

Taking a deep breath he decided just to tell her and get it over with "…Werewolves, when the moon is full."

The reaction he got from his grandmother next was the one thing he wasn't prepared for. She started to laugh.

As Edith continued to laugh in front of a very startled Quentin Collins she exclaimed, "My dear, the werewolf is a gift not a curse! The cult of Hermanubis has been attempting to transform the way you have for century upon century with little or no success. I can't imagine what they would do if they had heard what you just said to me. Perhaps you should keep that to yourself."

"Why in god's name would they **want** to turn into wolves? How could they see that as anything but a curse?" Quentin could not understand why they would want something like that.

"The cult of Hermanubis believes that man has lost more than he has gained. With each passing year they become more and more distant to nature. Instead of following his instincts he ignores them and in turn becomes weaker. But the cult believes that what is lost in always there to regain and that is what they intend to do. You my dear are the key."

"Why do they have to change into the form of a wolf to achieve what they want?" Quentin asked her.  
"They believe that changing into the likeness of their god Anubis will purify them, make them perfect."

"That's insane."

"Maybe to you but who are you to judge them? They have been around for centuries and you? A mere lifetime, their goal is to create a new race. A race which they believe will be perfect in every way."  
"How could they believe a creature with only a desire to kill could create a 'perfect' being?"  
"They think that it can be controlled."  
"But it can't be! If I could control it do you think I would have gone through such extreme lengths to find a cure for this curse?"  
  
"Magda never cursed you Quentin." Edith told him matter of factly.

"What?"

"She only did what I told her to do."

"What are you talking about?"

"Perhaps I should start from the beginning, yes?"

"That would be nice Grandmama."

"You see, it all started with your namesake. You're great uncle Quentin Collins. He had developed an interest in the occult of Egypt, ordering several rare books on the subject. After he was through with them he would hide them in a unused portion of the West Wing thinking nobody knew about his rather unusual hobby but I had known for some time.

I was young and bored so when he would finish with them and hid them away I would go and read some of them. The more I read the more interested I became and I started to understand why it had become such an obsession with your great uncle.

So, one night I decided to try a little black magic of my own."


	2. Part 2

Chapter 9 

"I wanted to summon a being that would tell me about my future, my destiny. What came in its place was someone I never expected.

The moon Goddess Hequit was the one who answered my call and appeared before me in her golden gown and her flowing brown hair. She told me that there was a cult that seeks her help in creating a new race. She had attempted this feat a few times before and was unsuccessful. Her last attempt was the worst however. She had told a gypsy how to perform a ritual that would turn someone into half man, half wolf. The gypsy, like you didn't understand why anyone would want to attempt such a thing. The gypsy had told Hequit that such a thing should be considered a curse not a gift. As much as the moon goddess tried to make her understand she simply could not. Unsuccessful, she left the gypsy woman thinking that was the end of it. It wasn't though for when a man by the name of Count Andreas Petofi double-crossed her she remembered the ritual Hequit had taught her so many years before. She did as Hequit had told her…except with one change. Instead of placing the god Anubis within him who would in turn bless him, she called upon the powers of darkness to place a demonic creature in Anubis' place thus cursing him. This is how the real 'curse' of the Werewolf started. Every time the ritual has been performed since then the demon has entered.

To right this wrong Hequit needed 3 people and since I was the one to summon her I was to be the first of the three. She told me my daughter and her son would be the other two. I never had a daughter though so I had to settle with my son's wife, your mother."

"I just can't believe it." Quentin mumbled. "But there is one thing I don't understand, my mother had more than one son and Edward was the first born. Why didn't Hequit take him instead of waiting for me to be born years later?"

"Your mother knew she would have another son. I don't know how, I wanted to use Edward at first but he was to be the air to the Collins' fortune or at least I thought so at the time. When you were born your mother told me that you were special and different from the rest, that is when I knew that I had made the right choice to wait for you to be born.

However, when you were but a boy your mother passed away from sickness and I also died before you were old enough to participate in the ritual. Hequit had no choice but to bring me back when the time was right and the time is now.

Before I died I told Magda how to perform the 'curse' as you call it, knowing that the demon would enter because of the previous gypsy's blunder. But unfortunately she refused to perform it seeing it as a cruel and horrible thing to do…even to you whom she despised. I died before I had a chance to change her mind. When you killed Jenny though, in the heat of anger she did exactly what Hequit and I wanted and what I had told her to do."

All of this was hard for Quentin to take in, his mind reeling with questions. It looked as if she truly believed in this crazy cause, it was as if she was brainwashed. "So you are the one responsible for my curse, not Magda! Just exactly what do you plan to do now?" he asked.

"Why perform the ritual of course."

Chapter 10

"Follow me Quentin." Edith said as she walked across the vast, dimly lit room to the large stone doorway in the far wall. Edith stopped at the small stone table against the wall and took from it two candles and handed Quentin one of them.

Following his grandmother they made their way slowly down the dark, dank passage. The candlelight fell softly against the white stone walls of the passage, casting an eerie glow over the ancient etchings within the stone as they walked.

Proceeding deeper into the temple Quentin could feel the temperature drop drastically as goosebumps appeared on his arms. Giving a slight shudder Quentin asked Edith where exactly they were going but she remained silent as she kept walking. "Grandmama?" Quentin said again, a little louder yet still she was silent continuing to walk as her floor length white dress rippled slightly as she made her way down the passage.

Hearing a soft noise behind him Quentin whirled around to see if someone was following them but no one was there. Taking a deep breath he turned around to continue following Edith down the passage but she was gone!

"Grandmama? Where are you?" Quentin whispered.

Silence.

"Grandmama, I can't see you. Where did you go?!?" Quentin said, much louder this time. All that greeted Quentin was the frightening silence.

"Why is it I always get trapped in dark passages?" he thought to himself. What am I going to do now, he wondered. There it was again, a faint noise somewhere in the distance. What could it be? Was it Edith, or was it someone **or** something else…

Slowly Quentin started walking in the direction the noise was emanating from. As he began to get closer the noise became clearer…it sounded like someone humming. Yes, it was a woman humming a light melody.

The tune sounded so familiar, and the voice as well….

~*~

1876

"What's the matter darling, bad dreams?"

Sniffling, the little boy looked up to her and slowly nodded his head. His eyes large and moist from unshed tears.

"What frightened you so?"

"The wolf, the wolf in my dream! He was attacking her and I couldn't do anything, I couldn't even move or warn her!" the little boy cried.

"Shhh, now. It's all right, there is no wolf here. It was just a bad dream."

"But what if it comes true!" The little boy whimpered his eyes wide with fear.

At that she took on a faraway gaze "I'm going to make sure it **never** happens to you. You're much to important to me my darling." She said quietly kissing the young boy on the forehead and giving him a warm, reassuring smile. "Now, try to get some sleep."

"I'm scared, will you stay with me tonight?" He asked meekly.

"Of course honey, now lay back and try to fall asleep."

"Will you sing me that song again?"

"Your song darling?"

"Yes"

"If it will help you sleep I will." Humming, she reached down fluffing his pillow and pulled up his sheets. Sitting on the edge of the bed she began to sing softly to him…

"Shadows of the night  
Falling silently,  
Echo of the past  
Calling you to me.  
  
Haunting memory  
Veiled in misty glow  
Phantom melody  
Playing soft and low.  
  
In this world that we know now  
Life is here, then gone  
But somewhere in the afterglow  
Love lives on and on.  
  
Dreams of long ago  
Meet in rendezvous,  
Shadows of the night,  
Calling me to you"

Humming quietly she looked down at the young boy sleeping soundly in his bed. He was so innocent, she feared for his so. He had so many horrible nightmares and she knew why. Slowly getting up from the edge of the bed she made sure not to disturb him then made her way to the door casting one last glance at the sleeping boy before she closed the door softly behind her. Walking away from the door she heard a voice come from behind her, making her jump.

"Isabella, you would be wise not to coddle him so. You don't want him to grow up being afraid all his life. You don't want him to grow up to be weak."

"Edith, I heard him scream, what was I supposed to do? Just ignore him? Really Edith, that's ridiculous." Isabella said angrily. "When I walked up to the door I could hear him crying."

"Let him cry, it will be good for him and help him to grow out of this childish phase. He must learn that what frightens him is not real, if you leave him alone he will."

"How can you be so cruel Edith, you are the cause of all his fear! He will be a fine young man someday but right now he is just a child and if he is scared I will go to him and comfort him. I am his mother and I think I know what's best for him."

"You may be his mother Isabella but I am the one who knows what's best for that boy. Remember that he will never be air and because of this he will be the one."

"I know what your plans are Edith and I won't let you get away with it. It's not fair to any of us and it's not right." Isabella spat angrily.

"You won't let me? It was you who told **me** that he was special and different. You never objected so strongly before, what made you have this sudden change of heart?" Edith asked her calmly, completely ignoring Isabella's obvious anger and resentment towards her.

"I feel so guilty when I look into his eyes, when I tell him everything will be all right when I know that it won't be."

"You agreed Isabella, you can't b---"

"I never had any choice!" Isabella interrupted her.

Giving her a harsh look for interrupting her while she was speaking Edith continued. "That's true, but you agreed long ago non-the-less and you can't back out now."

"You stay away from Quentin, Edith you'll ruin him."

"He is already mine my dear Isabella."

"Over my dead body Edith."

"That can be arranged Isabella." Edith said calmly as she turned around and walked down the hall leaving Isabella standing before Quentin's door. What could she do to get him out of that evil woman's grasp? She thought helplessly.

~*~

Quentin shuddered, it was getting cold and the soft humming added an almost surreal feel as he walked down the passage silently. He had to see who it was humming **his** song.

Chapter 11

Under the flickering light of the candle he held tightly in his hand, Quentin made his way towards the hum of a woman's voice echoing through the temple. Having lost Edith a way's back he figured there was nothing to lose at this point. He just wanted to find someone, anyone so he wasn't completely alone in the ancient temple.

As he rounded the final corner the hairs on the back of his neck began to stand up straight as the voice started to sing…

"Shadows of the Night…

Falling Silently……"

The voice echoing though the cast, empty passages of the temple tugged at the back of his mind, as if he had heard the voice sometime long ago. An enchanting voice from his past that he couldn't quite put a face to.

As she continued to sing Quentin thought that she managed to sing the poem so beautifully. He could never sing the poem, only recite it even though his voice wasn't really that bad. Quentin suspected that she could probably turn anything into a song, a feeling of safety and comfort suddenly washed over him and he couldn't understand why. It frightened him

"Haunting memory  
Veiled in misty glow  
Phantom melody  
Playing soft and low."

Quentin found himself in front of a metal door, a new metal door which reminded him briefly of the one that led to the basement in the Old House minus the barred window in the center. Why would a new metal door be in an old temple like this? He seriously doubted that the ancient egyptians had metal doors…with doorknobs. Trying the knob he discovered that it was locked. "…And locks too" he thought to himself. This was just added not long ago.

He had to see whom it was singing, reaching into the lining of he frock coat he took out the long needle he always hid there. It had come in handy so many times before and because of it he always carried the needle with him.

Setting down his candle he kneeled down and proceeded to pick the lock in the door as she continued to sing. Picking locks was something he had become quite good at in the past few years. After a couple minutes Quentin heard the familiar 'click' as the door unlocked, sticking the needle back into his frock coat he grabbed hold of the knob. "Here goes nothing" he whispered to himself as he took a deep breath and slowly opened the door. Silently he stepped into the room, having no idea what he was going to find inside.

The room was dimly lit by candles that stood in the corners of the room, it was lightly furnished with a small desk and chair on the left and a single bed and night stand in the right-hand corner.

There on the bed sat the woman, she was leaning against the small headboard with her eyes closed as she continued to sing.

"Dreams of long ago  
Meet in rendezvous,"

  
"Shadows of the night,  
Calling me to you" Quentin joined in startling her. Her eyes shot open quickly as she spotted him by the door. Her eyes were as big and blue as his and he immediately knew who she was.

"Mother" he whispered in shocked disbelief.

"It is you isn't it?" he asked fearfully as he stared at the lovely woman who resembled his mother so strongly sitting before him.

Slowly she stood up, she had long flowing dark brown hair, crystal blue eyes and was a tall regal looking woman with a kind and friendly face who appeared to be in her early 30's. They both stood there silently, frozen in the moment. After several seconds that seemed to last forever she finally broke the silence.

"Quentin" she breathed, clearly in shock as tears formed in her eyes. Suddenly she ran up to him and hugged him tightly. "My God, Quentin! It's you…isn't it?" she said as Quentin returned her embrace getting teary himself.

"Yes, it's me Quentin…. Mother." he said as she looked into his eyes.

"You remembered the song that I sang to you when you were just a baby? I would never have thought that you would remember it."

"I had forgotten that it was you who taught it to me when I was little but when I was 21 I found an old maroon gramophone, with white flowers painted on it locked away in an abandoned section of the West Wing. It played the very song you just sang and the words just came to me, they must have been in the back of my mind the whole time. Was it your mother?" he asked her.

"Yes, it was."

"Was that your room too?"

"Yes, I think it probably was. I did live in the West Wing. It was always my favorite part of the house, so peaceful and quiet." She said smiling as he returned her smile.

Isabella's took on a worried look and the smile slowly disappeared from her face. "Quentin, you should not have come here. Edith has some dreadful plans for you that will ruin you forever…or kill you. You must leave!"

"Come with me mother."

"No, if we both go they will catch us. If something happens to you now…"

"I won't leave you here now that I have just found you again. How is it possible for you to be here anyway? You died when I was 6 years old, right before father. I went to your funeral and I've visited your grave every year thinking you were dead!"

"Quentin please, lets not talk about that n—"

"Mother! Please, I need to know why you left us." Quentin asked as tears welled up in his eyes.

"Darling, please believe me. I didn't leave you or your brothers and sister. I died in 1876."

"So how is it possible that both you and Edith can be here living now?"

Giving in Isabella sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. "The cult of Hermanubis and Hequit have been planning this so long they were not about to let a little thing like death get in the way. Not when they are so close to their insane desire."

"What do you mean?"

"They brought us back so they could finish what they started but they need you because Quentin, you are the key. Edith sold us all to Hequit long ago, before you and I were ever born. I have always hated her for it."

Chapter 12

"Mother, you don't believe in all this insanity do you?"

"Good heavens, no! I certainly don't. Edith on the other hand has even killed for this madness around us, I learned the hard way never to cross her."

~*~

1876

Isabella sat in the drawing room reading her book. It was almost teatime and she always enjoyed a nice quiet moment with a good book and a warm cup of tea.

Edith walked into the drawing room interrupting Isabella right in the middle of an important part of her book carrying the tea tray, which was quite unusual. Edith was one to use the servants at every moment possible. "We pay them enough don't we?" She used to say to Isabella.

"My dear Isabella, why don't we share a nice pot of tea. Would you like one lump or two?" Edith asked sweetly. A little to sweetly Isabella thought.

"It's really not necessary for you to spend time with me Edith. You know very well that I despise you and I know you do me. You even know the reason so why are you being so nice all of a sudden?"

"Can't a mother-in-law be friendly once in a while without everyone suspecting every move that she makes?" Edith asked innocently.

"No."

"Don't you want a cup of tea?"

"Oh, very well. If it will get you to leave me alone so I can finish my book." Isabella said mildly, looking down at her book continuing to read.

"You know you should really work on your manners Isabella." Edith said looking over her shoulder at Isabella who was reading her book. Keeping an eye on her Edith took out a small bottle of light brown liquid. Making sure Isabella wasn't looking she emptied the bottle into one of the cups and filled the rest of the cup up with tea adding 1 lump of sugar.

Walking over to Isabella Edith handed her the cup of tea and went back over to fix herself her own cup.

"Isabella, I heard that you have been feeling poor lately, I hope you are feeling better now."

"Yes, it was just a little virus Edith. Nothing to be worried about." Isabella told her sipping her tea.

"Well I am happy to hear that."

"I am sure you are Edith, you need Quentin and I for your **plans**. It wouldn't do to have one of us die on you now would it?"

"I don't think it would really matter." Edith said in an odd tone, making Isabella give her a glance.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Just what I said."

Finishing her tea Isabella got up to fix herself another cup. "Why are you looking at me like that Edith?" Isabella asked, noting the bizarre expression on her face. Suddenly, Isabella started to feel dizzy placing her hand on the tea tray to steady herself she looked up at Edith just in time to see her cruel smirk.

"What have you done Edith? Why?" Isabella whispered as pain shot up through her chest. Gasping she fell to the floor. Edith slowly walked up to her feigning a disinterested look and said to her calmly, "I told you Quentin was mine. I know what's best for him, he will not be weak. I will teach him the black arts and the ways of the world so he will be ready to give himself to Hequit's cause when the time comes. There will be no more 'comforting' him when he is frightened or upset. Quentin will learn the hard way like a man should, you would have ruined him Isabella and I couldn't have that."

Looking up at Edith from the cold floor she realized what had happened. She had poisoned the tea, Edith wanted to kill her so that she could shape Quentin anyway she wanted. He was nothing more to her than her pawn, to do with as she wished. She was truly evil and no one knew it. The last thing she heard before the darkness overwhelmed her was Edith's voice whispering in her ear, "I told you it could be arranged my dear." Followed by her cruel laughter until Isabella could hear no more.

Edith watched Isabella lay there until she was sure she was dead then prepared herself for the act of her life. Edith immediately went to her son, Isabella's husband Joseph and told him that Isabella had fainted suddenly.

Taking Joseph to the drawing room Edith acted the concerned mother-in-law, quite proud of her performance.

Kneeling down Joseph checked for a pulse but could find none.

"No…" he said quietly as he held her for the last time. His head was down as he fought for control.

"What's the matter with her Joseph, will she be all right?" Edith asked innocently.

"She's dead." Joseph said, fighting back tears. "What happened?"

"Oh no! I can't believe it! We were just sitting here having tea when she suddenly seemed to have some kind of attack. She fainted and I ran to get you."

"I just don't understand it…"

"She told me she had been feeling a little ill but I had no idea she was this sick or I would have told someone about it."

"We had better tell the family." Joseph said staring down at his wife. "I loved her so much."

He was filled with so much grief, he never even saw the wicked grin that had formed on Edith's face as she thought about the dead Isabella. She would never interfere with Edith again.

~*~

"Oh my God! I had no idea, they told me you died from Scarlet Fever…." Quentin said shocked. He knew his grandmother was cruel and at times suspected that she was much more dangerous then she seemed but to be **this** cruel to her own daughter-in-law and even to her own son. Making Joseph mourn for his lost wife the last few months of his life.

"Yes, even I didn't know she could be that cruel." Isabella said to him.

Hugging her tightly Quentin thought about what they were going to do, how they were going to escape and what exactly they should do with Edith.

"Mother, what exactly **are** they going to do to us?"

"They will perform a ritual that will take your ability to transform from wolf to man and place the gift in the leader of the cult but not the leader of the cult now. They will put it in the 1st cult leader, the man who created the cult."

"But he **must** be dead by now…" Quentin said to her.

"Oh yes, for thousands of years. That is what they need Edith and I for. You see Quentin, Edith will take the 'curse' into her body separating it from the ability to transform. The cult will then sacrifice me and give my life-force to Arinubis, their dead cult leader thus bringing him to life, separating the curse from the ability to transform and giving Arinubis the gift…or at least they think it's a gift."

"We have to stop this." Quentin told her seriously. If they did this there was no telling how far it could go, could they really succeed in creating a new race?

"They cannot perform the ritual without you, you must leave before it is to late Quentin."

"I'm afraid it is far later than you thought my dear Isabella." A voice said from the doorway. Quentin and Isabella both turned towards the doorway only to be greeted by the smirking face of Edith Collins.

"We will perform the ritual immediately. I knew you two would find each other, you were both always so close." Edith said, Quentin could swear he heard a trace of jealousy in her voice.

Chapter 13

Behind Edith in the doorway, three cult members appeared. "It's time Quentin, Isabella." Edith said evilly. She nodded her head and the three cult members came towards them, two of them grabbed Quentin each one taking an arm and the other went over to Isabella and held her tightly pushing her roughly towards the door.

"Hey!" Quentin shouted, trying to break free from his captors but they were amazingly strong. Quentin and Isabella had no choice but to follow.

Edith and the other three cult members took them down a large flight of stone stairs which led far below the temple itself and was lit by torches fixed on the wall on both sides of the passage every few feet giving them plenty of light to see clearly. They came to a large room that had a thick stone door and looked like it was opened and closed by a lever on the left side of the passage. Looking over at his mother Quentin could see the fear in her eyes. As they entered the room the first thing Quentin noticed was the large sarcophagus in the center of the room buried in the shadow of a huge statue of Anubis, at the feet of their god.

One of the cult members closed the door behind them with a duplicate lever on the inside, sealing them inside. In front of the sarcophagus Quentin noticed there were 3 circular markings on the floor, each on had a different symbol in the center of the circle. The middle one was lined up directly in front of the statue with the other two on both sides. Edith went over and stood on the circular marking on the left. Quentin just couldn't believe she was willingly a part of all this insanity. The man holding Isabella pushed her onto the marking on the right of the statue, which only left one place for him to stand. Pushing him hard onto the center marking the cult members held on to him tightly.

"Were ready to begin." Said on of the men holding Quentin onto the marking.

The head of the cult appeared from behind the statue of Anubis and walked directly over to Quentin. Removing his headpiece for the first time he signaled something Quentin couldn't understand to the one remaining cult member standing in the room. Looking at the leader closely Quentin realized that he had seen a picture of him before….yes. It was Mahmud Mukhtar. The man who had sculpted all those glorious busts in the museum dedicated to him resting in Cairo. He was also the man Quentin had wanted to find so badly because Mahmud Mukhtar knew about at least one of the Seven Sacred Stones.

"I am sorry about what we must do but you are not worthy of the gift that was given so graciously to you. You cannot control it. It will be transferred to our leader, Airanubis." Mahmud Mukhtar told Quentin.

The member he had signaled before came up to Mahmud and gave him a small box then bowed and backed away into the shadows.

Giving Quentin one last look he walked away from him and to the sarcophagus. Setting the box down he bowed before the feet of Anubis and opened the box removing the exact same stone that Quentin had been looking for. So that's how he had known what it looked like, he had it all along.

Quentin knew that Isabella and himself would have to escape soon if they were going to escape at all, struggling he watched as Mahmud Mukhtar placed the stone inside a small hole in the lid of the sarcophagus. As soon as he did so the sound of rushing air filled the room and the lid of the sarcophagus slid open revealing an ancient mummy wrapped in layers of decaying bandages.

This was definitely their cue to leave, they needed to get away but how?

Mahmud started chanting in ancient Egyptian and one of the members brought him a large rod with a golden disk and other extravagance's attached to the end of it. As Mahmud held it up Quentin noticed a large stone shaft about him that reached all the way to into the sky above. When Mahmud held the rod at just the right angle a touch of moonlight spilled over Quentin's face.

His two captors let go of him and one of them revealed a sharp dagger that each one of the cult members seemed to posses.

"Don't make a move." One of them whispered to him menacingly as he pressed the dagger harder into the middle of his back.

Casting a quick glance over at Edith he could see she was fully cooperating with the cult of Hermanubis, closing her eyes and chanting with the rest of them. His mother on the other hand was struggling to free herself from the grasp of the cult member holding her captive.

As he watched her it almost seemed as if everything was happening in slow motion, even as Isabella quickly whirled around and reached into her captors cloak, revealing his dagger and shoving deeply into the mans chest forcing him to fall to the ground. One of the cult members behind Quentin left to help his friend with Isabella giving Quentin just enough of a distraction that he was able to spin around and knock the dagger out of the other man's hand before he even knew what happened. Rushing over to Mahmud Quentin snatched the rod out from his hands and swung it around bringing it into the side of his head. The cult member that was holding the dagger behind him on the circle came forward in a rage but Quentin caught him under the chin with the heavy rod knocking him out cold.

Suddenly a sharp, piercing pain shot through his back bringing him to his knees immediately. He turned around to see that Edith had gotten a hold of one of the daggers and had buried it deeply into his back. Falling onto the floor Quentin looked up to see her smiling down at him wickedly. God, he hated that woman he thought to himself as pain shot through his body.

"You're not going to ruin this Quentin!" she said to him, grabbing him under the arms and dragging him back to his mark. Intense pain was shooting up his spine as he watched Isabella out of the corner of his eye. She had seen what Edith had done to him and was becoming frantic trying to reach him.

Running over to the rod Edith scooped it off the floor and held it up to the light. Isabella had finally gotten the other cult member taken care of with the dagger and ran over to Quentin with tears in her eyes. "We have to get you out of this circle before Edith finishes the chant." Isabella explained to Quentin quickly. Using all the strength he could muster he helped Isabella pull himself off the circle just as a flash of intense light came down the shaft, bounced off the rod and straight into the center of the marking on the floor where Quentin was moments before.

As Quentin lay on the floor he could feel the wound in his back healing thanks to the portrait. Silently thanking Charles Delaware Tate Quentin started to sit up.

"I'll be all right mother but we better get out of here."

"But you're hurt! I---"

"No, it will heal in a few minutes, I'll explain later. Let's just get out of here!"

Quentin looked up just in time to see one of the most terrifying sights he had ever seen in him enter life. The mummy, Airanubis had gotten the life force from one of the existing cult members when he accidentally wandered into one of the circular marking at the wrong time and he was rising out of his sarcophagus.

Chapter 14

"Jesus!" Quentin shouted struggling to get up on his feet. Isabella saw what was wrong and yanked Quentin up on his feet and off the ground. Quentin reached down and picked up a dagger from one of the fallen cult members and put it in his pocket, just in case. Making their way to the door they were intercepted by Edith.

"You two aren't going anywhere. Airanubis has risen and he wants your gift. This isn't over yet!" Edith said to them.

"Damn it Edith, let us go!"

"Never" Edith said. Her eyes as cold as the sacred stones Quentin had sought. Quentin felt someone grab him from behind as the overwhelming smell of decay filled his nostrils. Struggling Quentin's wound was finally healed enough to where he had some strength and he broke free of the mummy's grasp. Turning around he hit Airanubis square in the jaw provoking absolutely no reaction what-so-ever. Reaching into his pocket he grasped the dagger and pulled it out of his pocket, burying it in the mummy's chest slowing him down a little. Quentin took hold of Isabella's hand and they ran to the door as fast as the possibly could.

Quentin pulled the lever to open the door hoping they could get out and close the door behind them, sealing the mummy and the crazed Edith Collins inside forever.

As soon as the door was open far enough Quentin pushed Isabella though the doorway. Intending to follow right behind her he started his way through the door only to be stopped Edith as she pulled him back inside the room by his shoulders and started clawing and scratching at him. Looking at her now he knew this was no longer the Edith he had known as a child. She put her arms around his throat and started to squeeze, unbelievably strong. Gasping for breath Quentin reached up and tried to pull her hands away from his throat but she held on strong. He could feel himself slowly losing consciousness. Over his shoulder he could see the mummy dragging himself off the ground and making his way towards them.

"Please….let…me…go….can't…breath" Quentin choked out as he used the last of his breath.

"You let me down Quentin! I thought you were worthy but now I know what a mistake I made. Your worthless Quentin, worthless!" The crazed Edith shouted, her eyes flashing as a look of utter madness crept into her eyes. "You and your mother, that's why I killed her the first time and don't think I won't do it again!"

The mummy was almost upon them when Isabella appeared through the doorway and shoved Edith as hard as she could breaking Edith's hold on Quentin and driving her straight into the mummy's chest. Gasping for breath Quentin watched as the mummy, Airanubis held Edith tightly as she tried to pull away. The mummy though had other plans spinning her around so she was face to face with her captor.

Quentin grabbed Isabella's hand and pulled her through the door as fast as he could and pulled the lever on the other side of the doorway.

Edith was lashing out and trying to break free of the mummy's iron grip but the unnatural creature had no trouble picking her up kicking and screaming and carrying over towards his sarcophagus. The last thing Quentin and Isabella saw was a room full of fallen cult members and Airanubis setting Edith inside his sarcophagus as they heard Edith's final blood-curdling scream echo through the halls of the temple as the thick stone door closed sealing them inside forever.

When the door closed Quentin immediately searched for a rock. Finding one a little ways down the passage he ran back to the lever that opened the door and wedged it inside so that it could not be opened from the inside again.

Exhausted Quentin looked over at his mother Isabella. "Are you all right?" he asked her.

"Yes I think so. How about you?"

"I will be as soon as we get the heck out of here."

"Amen."

Dead tired they both made their way out the temple. Quentin had learned the truth about his grandmother and it frightened him. He almost felt sorry for her coming to an end the way she did.

Standing outside the temple they watched as the moon slowly descended towards the earth signaling to them that the night was finally over. They watched as the sun took it's place in the sky and the first rays of the sun washed over the desert and the temple. As this happened they both looked on in wonderment as the temple slowly deteriorated before their very eyes.

"There's something you don't see everyday." Isabella said.

"What, you mean you don't?" Quentin said smiling happy the night was over. Finding the camel Quentin prepared to mount, reaching inside his pack to grab some water…OK so it was Brandy he noticed that something was missing.

"Oh no" Quentin muttered out loud.

"What's the matter darling?" Isabella asked him. Maybe this was for the best, he thought. If their stone had the kind of power to raise the dead what could his do? He wasn't sure he wanted that kind of power.

"Oh it's nothing." Quentin told her, mounting the camel and helping her do the same.

"Let's get out of here." Quentin said as they started off towards the city of Hermopolis. Riding into the sunrise they were totally unaware of the two moonstruck eyes watching them from the ruins of the ancient temple of Hermanubis.

The End?


End file.
